Chapter 1: Orphaned

Tom Prentice walked into The Embers Restaurant and took a look around. It was not any different from his last visit, over 4 months ago. Laney was serving Mr. Parker and hadn't seen him yet. He wondered if she was still going out with Jeff. Tom saw that his favorite booth was empty, so he decided to seat himself. He hoped the table was in Laney's section.

Tom has lived here in Elmville all his life. He's just over 6 feet tall, 170 pounds, dark hair and grey eyes, and not bad looking. He was attending the local college until his world crashed and burned. After withdrawing from classes on January 26th. he has been living in Omaha with his uncle Frank and aunt Pearl. Until yesterday that is, when he decided it was finally time to come back and resume his life. That and having received a letter from the funeral home asking him to please come and pick up his mother's ashes.

Tom began the year the only child of Jack and Mary Prentice, but by mid January he was an orphan, and most of his mom's family were angry with him. God, he sure had needed to get away, and it was a big relief when his uncle Frank had offered to take him back to Omaha with them. Frank was his dad's older brother, and so much like his dad that staying with him he could almost forget his dad was no longer around. Well, he couldn't forget, but at least he could pretend.

At that moment he was stirred from his thoughts by the arrival of his waitress. Damn, it wasn't Laney.

"Hey honey, what can I get you?" she said.

"Uh, would it be ok to send Laney over to serve me? She's an old friend."

"Well, we both have sections and she's already busier than me."

He reached into his wallet for a ten, and asked her, "Then could I rent this table from you for her, just until I'm gone?"

"Honey, you got it. Less work and my best tip all week. I'll send her right over." The ten disappeared and so did she.

Tom began thinking of all that had happened since he'd returned from Omaha. First off he'd gone back to what had been his family home and carried in his suitcases and the boxes of food his aunt Pearl had sent with him. He'd been afraid of what he'd find when he opened the fridge, but someone must have cleaned it out for him as there was no fungus farm waiting for him. He'd left a key with Mr. Douglas next door, so he could keep an eye on things while Tom was in Omaha, and he or Mrs. Douglas must have cleaned it out. The house seemed no different than when he'd left.

The house was a large one, with a second story where the 3 large bedrooms, bathroom and a storage room were located. The 3rd bedroom had evolved into the family computer room, and contained a desk, where Tom had always done his schoolwork, as well as his bookcase.

The main floor had the kitchen, formal dining room, living room and a den where his father had had his desk and kept a small office. The basement had the laundry room, a full home gym, a bathroom complete with 2 person shower and a Jacuzzi, and a nice workshop he and his dad had used to work on a variety of projects. They had built everything from birdhouses to a radio controlled WW2 era Mustang fighter plane. Damn, he'd sure miss his dad.

Once he'd put the food away and taken his suitcases up to his room, he'd gone through every room in the house, making sure everything looked ok, checking lights and water, and re-acquainting himself with his home. It had felt really odd walking into his parents' room. Seeing his mother's dressing gown lying on her side of the bed, and a pair of his dad's shoes by the closet door made it seem like they'd be back at any moment, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. When he checked their attached private bathroom, their toiletries and personal items were just as they had been left. He knew he'd have to decide what to do with their things soon.

On his way out of his parents' room he stopped to look at a photo that they had hung on the wall by the door. It was less than a year old, and showed them with their arms around each other in an embrace, their upper bodies turned so they could look at the camera. His father was definitely the mold for Tom, as he too was 6 feet tall, with the same dark hair and grey eyes. While both were good looking men, Jack Prentice had a more rugged appearance.

Mary Prentice's beautiful smile radiated from the photo, enhancing her good looks. She had short brown hair that framed her face and matched her eyes. She was 5 foot 7, with a classic 36, 25, 36 figure. Both of his parents wore shorts and T shirts in the photo, and their fit bodies were evident. Tom removed the photo from the wall and took it to his room, where he stood it on a shelf of his bookcase. It was a great photo of his parents, and it reminded him of happier times.

After checking out the house, he'd called Mr. Douglas to thank him, and told him he'd be over to see him in a day or two. A few more calls, to let some of his friends know he was back, were next. When he'd completed the last call he grabbed a couple of the sandwiches his aunt had sent with him, as well a can of soda from the fridge, and wolfed them down. He sure had been hungry. After eating he decided to go get a bit of rest and had laid down on his bed. The tiring drive from Omaha, and the emotions brought out by moving back into the house, caught up to him there and he'd dozed off, not waking until this morning.

"Hey there Tom! So you're the big tipper." Laney had come up from behind him, and Tom was startled by her arrival. He looked up to see her smiling face, and marveled at how pretty she was. She'd cut her dark brown hair since he'd last seen her, and it was now at about shoulder length. Her large brown eyes seemed to glitter as she appraised him. As far as he could tell she had very little makeup on, not that she needed any.

"Hi Laney. Hope you didn't mind me asking for you." Tom was embarrassed that she knew about his 'tip', and colored a bit as a result.

"Of course not. I haven't seen you in months. I heard you'd left town, but no one seemed to know where you went. You know, I was at your father's funeral, but I had to stand at the back because there was such a crowd. I don't think you saw me."

"Gee, no I didn't see you. I'm sorry, it was just so hectic. He knew a lot of people and I think they all came. And then there were the problems with mom's family. They were upset with me because they wanted a double service, and I knew my dad wouldn't have wanted it. What a mess. I guess you and everyone else in town knows that though. It must have been the big topic of conversation in here for quite a while. I've been in Omaha, staying with my aunt and uncle, so I was able to miss most of the effects of the news and gossip."

"Yeah, for a few days it was all over the news," Laney said. "But no one's been talking about it for a long time now. All the talk is about the layoffs at the auto parts factory."

"I heard about that. Made the Omaha paper even. I hate it for the town, but it's better for me. I was afraid I'd be a center of attention when I came back. Hey, maybe I better order before your other customers get after me."

Laney stepped away and looked over at her section, before coming back to his booth. "No problem, everyone's got their orders and there are no new tables," she said. She moved a bit closer, and lowered her voice before saying "I hope you don't mind my asking, but some people said they heard things that the papers didn't mention. Is that true? I mean, that the papers never said some things about what happened?"

Tom hesitated, and then said "No, nothing that happened was left out of the newspapers. They had the whole story, right from the beginning."

Tom's eyes had clouded over, and his smile had disappeared. After a moment, he smiled up at Laney and said "Maybe I better get my order in, so you can check your other tables. We can talk more when you come back. I don't want to get you in trouble. I'll have a small steak, medium, fries and a coffee. Oh, and some pecan pie."

"Sure thing," she said. "I'll be right back with your coffee. Your meal won't be long." She smiled at him as she left.

Tom watched her leave and noticed how nicely the material of her uniform slacks molded to her butt and emphasized its delicious curves. He realized he wasn't the only one taken by the view of Laney's butt as he saw a grey haired man at one of the tables swivel in his seat to watch her walk away. As the man turned back, his eyes caught Tom's, and the two shared a grin.

While he waited for Laney to bring his order, Tom recalled his busy morning. He'd woken early, after a good, restful sleep. He was amazed at what a difference being in his own bed could make. After a trip to the bathroom for his morning rituals, he'd thrown on sweats and a pair of runners and headed for the basement gym. A near hour spent on the machines and weights had left him tired, sweaty and hungry, so after a nice hot shower he'd headed to the kitchen to make himself breakfast.

He was grateful now that his aunt had sent him home with basic supplies as he was able to make himself a decent omelet for breakfast. As he ate he realized his mom had done a good job of teaching him how to cook. Damn, he sure was going to miss her too. On a normal morning she would have joined him in the gym, and they would have made and eaten breakfast together. Man, there were days she could outdo him in the gym, and it had showed. He'd heard a couple of his friends refer to her as a MILF, but they'd always denied it when he'd called them on it. In truth he knew he couldn't really argue with them, as she had been one good looking lady, with all of her curves in the right places. Neither of his parents had hit the age of 40 yet, and his mom had looked barely 30 to him.

After eating he'd cleaned up his dishes and wiped down the stove and counter top. If this home was his now, he intended to keep it in shape. Once he was done with the cleanup, he headed next door to thank the Douglases, and get back his spare key. They emphatically refused his offer to pay them for their homesitting help, so he made a mental note to get them a little gift and a certificate for a good meal somewhere nice. He knew he'd need their help and advice again, as he wasn't experienced with home ownership.

His thoughts were interrupted by Laney, as she brought his coffee. "Here you go Tom," she said, "Your meal won't be long." She smiled as she set down the cup, then hurried off with her coffee pot to refill cups at her other tables.

Tom was only able to say his "Thank you" to her departing back, and again he watched her beautiful butt as she walked away. Damn, maybe he should just ask her out, he thought to himself. The worse thing that could happen is she'd say "no" if she was still seeing Jeff. It wouldn't be the first "no" he'd heard, and unlike some of his friends, he felt he was able to handle rejection without major embarrassment.

Once Laney disappeared from sight, Tom was able to get back to thinking about his morning. He had driven to the lawyers' office and then spent several hours there, signing papers to take over the house in his name, as well as forms and applications that would allow utilities and operating expenses for the house to be billed to him. There had been forms for opening new accounts and credit cards in his name at the local bank, as well as forms to sign for the insurance companies. After he had completed these tasks, he had sat and spoken with Mr. Greenstein for quite a length of time. He decided he liked Fred Greenstein, and felt he would be able to ask him for advice when it was needed.

When he was finished at Mr. Greenstein's office, he had gone to the bank to deliver the new forms and make a withdrawal from his new account. At least he would have enough cash to take care of day-to-day expenses for the next week or so. He knew he would have to make a visit to the local supermarket to stock up on more food and supplies. When he had finished all of these tasks he felt it was time to stop for lunch and where better than at The Plaza Restaurant.

Laney appeared again at his table, and set down his meal. "Here's your lunch," she said, "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. I'll be back later with your pie. That will be around my break time, so if you don't mind I'll join you for coffee then."

"That would be great," Tom said with a smile. "I was hoping to talk to you a bit more."

Tom attacked his meal with gusto, and about the time that he jabbed the last French fries with his fork, Laney brought his pie and her coffee. She sat across the table from Tom, smiling up at him as he slid the pie in front of himself and picked up his fork. He took his first bite of the pie, and said "They sure don't make pie like this in Omaha."

Not much conversation took place while Tom finished his meal, but once he had finished they chatted like the old friends they were, about the people they knew and the things that had happened during their time together in high school. Laney had been a year behind Tom, was just finishing her senior year, and would be going to college in the fall. She wanted to know what Tom thought of college as she was nervous about starting her studies there. She also filled Tom in on all of the things that had been going on around town, especially those which affected the people they knew. It seemed like no time at all had passed when Laney glanced at her watch and said "Gee, I had better get back to work, my break is almost over."

"Wow, that was fast," said Tom, "you just sat down. I wanted to explain more about my mom and dad, but there isn't time now. Maybe I could call you this evening, if you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind at all. That would be great. Here's my cell number," she said, and slid a slip of paper over to Tom.

"I was meaning to ask you something Laney," Tom said. "Are you still going out with Jeff? I wouldn't want him to think I was messing with his girlfriend," he laughed.

"Oh no, that's not a problem. I haven't gone out with him for two months," she said, and then laughed.

"Oh, OK," said Tom, "I'll give you a call later this evening then."

They both stood, and Laney started picking up their cups and Tom's plates. She smiled and said, "I'll be looking forward to your call." Tom got out his wallet, and selected a $10 bill for Laney's tip. He left it on the table, and went to the cashier to pay his bill, as Laney finished clearing his table.

Tom made a stop at the supermarket, then returned to his house and set about putting away his purchases. It had been quite an eventful day for him, so he decided to just take it easy for the rest of the day. He went into the den and took a look at the papers and records his father had kept there. He slowly sorted them out, as best he could, and when finished he had a large pile of things to get rid of. This type of task really bothered him he realized, as it reminded him of his father. He knew he had a lot more of these tough jobs ahead of him.

He decided he'd earned a break, so went and got a cold drink, then went to the living room where he decided to sit in his father's favorite chair and relax a while. As he sat there the tears began to form as he thought of his parents. He set down the soda and went to his room where he pulled his father's letter from the drawer in the bedside table. He took it downstairs, sat down again, and began to read it. He'd read it many times before, but found reading it helped him to calm down when his emotions ran high.

The letter

My dear son;

I hardly know how to write this, I'm so upset. I need to explain to you what's happened, and I'm not sure if I can. Also, I may run out of time if the police show up. I'm hoping they won't be here that quickly though.

First some important stuff. My lawyer is Fred Greenstein. He's a good friend and a good lawyer. Take all of this to him, as I'm sure he'll help you with everything, and I trust him to do right by you.